With the projection of Prem Kumar Dhumal as its chief ministerial candidate, the BJP has just rebooted itself in Himachal Pradesh, where confusion about the alternative face to incumbent Virbhadra Singh had started slowing down the party’s election campaign.

Announcing the decision at a public rally earlier this week, BJP chief Amit Shah left no doubt about who will head the government if the BJP wins in the State.

Although Dhumal was not the central leadership’s favourite for the role, and Union Health Minister JP Nadda was considered an alternative, several factors worked in favour of the former.

The first, of course, is his visibility and State-wide acceptance. In the ABP NewS-Lokniti-CSDS survey, Dhumal (31 per cent)emerged as the most preferred for CM, followed by Virbhadra (29 per cent). Nadda (5 per cent), who has served as a minister in the earlier BJP government in the State, ranked lower than even State Congress chief Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (7 per cent).

The second is the obvious domination of Rajputs in HP politics. Of the 68.57 lakh population, about 25.22 per cent are SC, 5.71 per cent are ST and 13.52 per cent are OBC.

Among the 50.72 per cent general population, Rajputs constitute about 33 per cent, while Brahmins are about 18 per cent.

From the time HP was carved out of Punjab in 1971, and even before that, the undisputed leader of the State was Yashwant Singh Parmar, a Rajput, from Baghthan, Sirmaur district.

He was followed by Thakur Ram Lal, also of the Congress, and Dhumal, a Thakur from the BJP. Shanta Kumar was the sole Brahmin to have been elected CM twice, once in 1977-80 and then in 1990-92.

Besides the caste calculus, Dhumal also has a better hold over the BJP’s organisational network and popular appeal, having been Chief Minister before. To counter Virbhadra, the BJP needs him in Himachal.